Optimize Hotel GDS Distribution

The objective of improving the hotel distribution system lies in the Global Distribution System and it is not really as difficult as it first appears. Effective hotel revenue managers know that they can easily take control of their hotel GDS by knowing the opportunities available in their properties. These opportunities can range from marketing the hotel using targeted advertising so that they can be placed at the top of hotel listings.

Meanwhile, doing simple steps like using revenue management features such as “Hotel UpSell” and “Best Available Rate” can help as well. It is important to realize that there are actually tons of available opportunities to advertise within the hotel GDS. Still though, hotel revenue management teams should determine when the best time to advertise is and what messages should be given.

Specific GDS Promotions

Specific messages should also be promoted. For example, in some cases, hotels want to market a specific destination while some are pushing their brand to a new target market. A lot of GDS today can provide personalized programs that are customized according to the hotel’s needs. It can include various advertising tools that are available in the hotel distribution system.

Effective advertising tools usually available from major GDS include:
• Sign-in Advertising – direct advertising messages during at the period of signing in to the GDS by agents.

• Targeted Textual Advertising – helps hotels promote the products and services to the target market during the time when they are ready to make their decisions.

• Travel Agency Portals – usually related to graphical user interface or GUI. Hotel GUIs allows hotels to use the combination of text and graphics to make a bigger impact. Because of this, the tool is particularly beneficial when promoting brand awareness or a certain property with pictures.

• Online Itineraries – more visual content is used in this case. The strong images coupled with the strong push marketing strategy helps hotels make a greater impact in the minds of their consumers. This can ultimately increase hotel sales.

Each GDS should provide targeted promotional tools so that hotels can use this to further promote their brand or properties. Meanwhile, online hotel GDS can be composed of travel agency portals, internet brochures, and online itineraries; these can be maintained by the hotel itself depending on the GDS in question.

Hotel Industry Expectations for the Second Half of 2009

According to the PKF Hospitality Research, RevPAR which is an important indicator of the hotel industry’s health, will bottom out in the third quarter of 2009. After months of decline, it is expected that the industry will finally rebound. This news is bound to give hotel revenue managers around the world a sense of relief. The escalating trend of declining hotel revenue began in the third quarter of 2008 so it really does come full cycle if this trend reverses itself in a one-year timeframe.

The President of PKF Hospitality Research Mark Woodworth said that while their finding is welcome news, 2009 will still post the “weakest year on record for the domestic lodging industry”. In addition, revenue per available room for 2010 will still be disappointing even if it is not as bad as this year. Taking into consideration the employment level and the demand for lodging, it becomes clear that RevPAR can decline by 17.5% overall for 2009. In 2010, decline in RevPAR will not be as bad but it is still at 3.5%.

These factors point to the conclusion that effective yield management should still be practiced by the revenue management team. Also, the hotel revenue management strategies such as increasing online presence, using hotel software, and training the service staff should be continued and further strengthened to give hotels a competitive edge.

Mr. Woodworth further added that “If you are wondering when we’ll start to see actual growth in RevPAR, then you’ll have to wait until 2011” though the “operating environment is going to get a little less painful”. The decline for lodgings in the United States peaked during the first quarter of 2009 at 8 percent. According to the Hotel Horizons, demand will continue to regress but at a diminishing rate.

For the remainder of 2009, the projected quarterly decline is 4.7 percent on the average. Overall, hotel revenue will decrease by 16 percent this year because of the decline in RevPAR. Beyond the year 2009, there will be an average annual increase of 3.2 percent in the next four years according to the same study.

Automated Revenue Management Will Improve Efficiency

When organic hotel sales start to go down, hotel revenue management takes on a new level of importance. This is because it becomes critical for hotels to go after the remaining market. The marketing department will also experience the same problems and opportunities. To reduce redundancies, the two can be meshed together.

Avoiding Redundancies

Implementing technologies such as the RevPAR Guru can help boost efficiency greatly. This solution can provide automated forecasting not only for North American properties but for properties anywhere in the world. A significant number of man-hours can be saved. And the best part is, the result of the system will increase RevPAR and manifest itself to profit optimization.

More than using technology though, there should also be cooperation between the hotels sales & marketing department and revenue management. By working together, hotel managers can identify areas for promotions and what the optimal hotel rate should be.

In the previous articles, we have discussed the tension between the two groups. For example, the misconception of hotel managers that sales are only interested in profits. This type of thinking should be eliminated for any type of effective cooperation to take place.

RevPAR Guru as a Tool

Before RevPAR Guru has been introduced, hotel revenue managers simply used Excel to calculate the appropriate rate. This is time-consuming and typically inaccurate. But there is no need to say with this old style. By using algorithm processes to process data, the software is able to project how much the hotel can expect from its transient sales.

However, thinking that any software application can replace the touch of an employee is quite misguided. It should be seen as a tool rather than the ultimate solution. For example, it is not a substitute for hotel revenue managers. Some tasks that are related to hotel management are things that only a human being with actual experience and rational thinking can solve.

With this in mind, it is even more important to respect the capabilities of hotel revenue managers. It is true that technology today is incredibly advanced. Booking software, inventory software, and revenue management software are impressive. Without a human to feed and interpret data though, software applications can do just the opposite of what they were designed to do.

Online Hotel Sales Revenue Management

It is no secret that hotels are now deriving a significant part of their revenue from internet sales, either it is from electronic distribution channels (GDS), franchise websites, or even the hotel’s own home page. For this reason, many hoteliers are concentrating their efforts online. Right now, many have already re-allocated their resources from traditional channels to internet marketing and promotions with the objective of manipulating their internet presence to increase hotel sales.

Hotel revenue managers are certainly correct in this initiative. After all, the internet presents a lot of growth opportunities for hotels that are struggling in today’s tough times. In addition, they can expect their yield management to be improved and increase hotel sales.

Frustrated hoteliers should remember the saying that if you “keep on doing what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always gotten.” In the business environment today, this means diminishing hotel revenue unless they do something about it. The internet should be utilized as an effective tool to drive hotel sales. Before embarking on this initiative though, hoteliers must realize that it is important to include the sales department because the this revenue management strategy will ensure that the product positioning will be uniform across all hotel distribution channels.

The three main stages that hotels can take include:

• Target Market Positioning – this strategy mainly involves locating new markets when the existing customers are generating less revenue. Hoteliers make the decision to concentrate on markets that used to be ignored. The new market can be composed of affinity groups or even the government.

• Market Penetration Strategy – as its name implies, this means deciding on which method will penetrate the market best. In this stage, it is critical to know the “depth” of the market to ascertain its potential and boost profitability.

• Initial Approach – this third approach entails actually approaching the market. There are two ways to conduct this: traditional and cyber. Obviously, the approach implemented in the two channels should be different. For example, in the internet, the first contact may come from travel portals or third parties while in traditional marketing; it might come from travel agencies.

The three stages outlined above is only a brief overview of what hotel revenue managers and their sales department can do to reach new markets on the internet. However, while the online marketplace presents vast opportunities, it is also quite important for hotels to keep their current clients and maintain the level of relationships they always had.

Focusing on Increasing Hotel Sales

Sales forecast is not something that most hotel revenue managers want to focus on. But this is an essential element to consider because it will affect the company’s strategy, hotel rate positioning, and pricing strategies among others. Every start of the year, most people look back at what happened the previous year. And for the new strategy to be successful, it is critical to know what worked and what didn’t in the previous years and how these can be improved upon in the next year. In addition, hotel revenue managers should not only lay out the forecast and stick to it stubbornly. It is sometimes wise to consider the current market condition to change the hotel rate strategy appropriately.

After this step, the next one is implementation. This is where more problems start to occur. Many hotel revenue managers say that they have a problem about “time management”. They take unnecessary calls that could have been left to the secretary to answer. They welcome interruptions from different people within the hotel. And they spend too much time in redesigning work flow and other systems. While this initiative may be necessary, it is the task of the hotelier to know which area should be prioritized.

In truth, most revenue managers don’t have an issue with time management; they have sufficient organizational skills to manage their time effectively. Their main concern should be their lack of focus. Focus is different from management. It is not about organization but about prioritization. The organization with streamlined operations may not experience profit optimization if it is targeting the wrong market. In the same way, managers who put their time and effort into unproductive undertaking will yield no tangible results.

Fortunately, there are things that can help hoteliers and staff keep their focus on the right things. Among the steps they can take include:

Analyzing Daily Activity – writing down the activity of the day and then analyzing it will determine how productive the hotel revenue manager is. This will help them identify which tasks needs to be eliminated and which should be placed at the top of the list.

Prioritized Identified Areas – once the critical aspects of operations have been identified, the next step is to know which proposals, contracts, or any other tasks should be done for the day.

Reduce Interruptions – one of the things that make a person less productive is distractions. By eliminating interruptions and other unnecessary tasks, the main priority can be finished during the day or during the specified timeframe.

Is There a Disconnect Between Hotel Revenue Management and Sales Strategy?

Many would think that revenue management and sales strategies automatically complement each other. After all, these two are deeply interrelated to one another. However, this perception is idealistic at best because in reality the sales department and the hotel revenue management are usually at odds with each other. When this happens, frustration occurs and this can hinder the thought process that makes good decisions possible. It is a good thing that majority of hotel revenue managers are willing to compromise to bridge the gap.

In many cases, it has been observed that the frustrations of hotel revenue managers arise from the fact that the sales department wants to provide “sale” prices at inappropriate times because they want their bonus incentive when they reach their quota. This is against the revenue manager’s job of ensuring the profit is optimized at all times for the overall well-being of the hotel. While this perception may be true in some cases, it is important to look past this bias and look deeper into specific problems. Among those that can be identified include:

Inappropriate Discounting – using the discounting strategy to cope with low market demand is an almost automatic reaction for sales people. It has been the standard operating procedure (SOP) ever since the demand drastically decreased because of the deep recession. And when you couple this with travelers who have reduced their budget, sales people scramble to give the lowest rate possible. It is important to analyze the market first before giving drastic discounts. Effective yield management should be prioritized in this case.

Revenues from Different Profit Centers – the sales department is more likely than not to be familiar with the customer behavior. They can actually help the hotel revenue managers in this case by helping develop the hotel rate strategy for specific times of the week and the month. The highest demand from corporate travelers tends to occur during midweek while weekends are preferred by vacationers.

Building Client Relationships – this is a common cause of tension between sales and revenue managers. Though revenue managers know the value of building and maintaining relationships, it may not be their first priority in all cases. Meanwhile, sales people usually strive to accommodate all client requests at the expense of the hotel’s profitability. This needs to be ironed out for maximize hotel sales.

Using Hotel Revenue Management Software to Increase RevPAR

A Cornell University Study, published in the Analysis if Revenue Management Vol. 5, No. 6, in the April of 2005, revealed that hotels that price above their competitors have the most aggressive hotel revenue managers. They are the best when it comes to increasing RevPAR, improving yield management, and boosting profitability. Many hotels want to raise their room rates in order to increase RevPAR but this strategy may not always work. Its success depends on brand image, amount of available facilities, location, demand, the number of competition, and general economic condition.

It should be noted though that the most successful hotels when it comes to revenue per available room implements hotel revenue management strategies. However, it you should note that the requirements of revenue management systems for individual hotels are different. For example, the needs of a 50-room boutique establishment are far different form a 600-room chain hotel. Before buying inventory software, booking software, or a yield management software, establishing the exact requirements of the hotel in terms of RMS systems and functionality is important.

If you’re anticipating the implementation or the upgrade of a system, evaluating the potential return of investment of the revenue management systems including their sustainability needs to be done. Below are some guidelines that will help you find the best hotel revenue management software:

Departmental Needs – each department has its own requirement when it comes to documentations needs, report, and other data gathering and retrieval technique for effective decision making. Hotel revenue managers need to know the minimum and the optimal requirement of each department.

Existing Hotel Revenue Management System – if you already have a revenue management system in place, consider if it would be more cost effective to replace it or to add certain functionalities. In addition, be sure to find out what the exact requirements are. The last thing you want is to have the same problems in the new system.

Hotel Channel Management – most hotel applications have this feature. Finding the right one is only a matter of how complex your business structure and the promotional mix. A system that allows you to evaluate the different revenue streams is a particularly effective one.

Customer Behavior Analysis – a good revenue management system should be able to forecast customer behavior based on historical data and customer information. The information helps the hotel revenue managers make better decisions based on actual data, not on guess work.

Simple Ways to Increase Hotel Internet Sales Part 2

If you want to increase your hotel’s internet sales, it is important to allocate a significant amount of resources into internet marketing as well. Right now, it is believed that all major hotel brands are already generating more than 40 percent of their bookings through their hotel internet channels. By 2010, it is projected that 45 percent of bookings will be completed using internet booking software. Before you invest a significant amount of money in your online endeavors though, it is critical to know which areas and channels you need to focus on:

Paid Search Campaigns

Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) may be a good idea, but it takes time before results start to trickle in. An alternative to this is the pay per click campaign. Popular programs include Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing. This program is worth considering for the hotel industry because it significantly improves web visibility. PPC is a particularly beneficial program while you’re waiting for your site to increase in ranking.

After your hotel website builds a good reputation, you can gradually stop this campaign. Some people use this as a replacement. However, it is never a good idea to use this over the long-term because of the extensive investment involved in order to sustain it. In addition, searchers are more inclined to trust search engine results instead of paid results. This will translate to better hotel revenue management on your bottom line.

Packages and Promotions

Just because you’re marketing your services online doesn’t mean you need to give up on offline marketing strategies altogether. Find out what packages click with your target audience and include it in your online service offerings. If people are booking your hotel because of its good location, free breakfast, corporate amenities, and scenic views, be sure to mention it on different hotel distribution channels including the internet.

User Generated Content

Some of the most successful websites today rely on users to generate its content. For example, video sharing sites, P2P, Wikipedia, and even YouTube depends on thousands of users to create and patronize its services. The same concept holds true in the hospitality industry. For example, social media sites can be very helpful in boosting hotel profitability. This is because people generally trust the opinions of others within their network; when their friends give reviews, they listen. In addition, travel-centric media sites that offer reviews are used by countless people when making purchase decisions.

Simple Ways to Increase Hotel Internet Sales Part 1

A decade ago, hotel revenue managers would never have thought that the internet will become the most important hotel distribution channel worldwide. In 2008, 37 to 38 percent of all hotel bookings are believed to have come from the internet. Aside from this, at least another third of hotel sales are influenced by online mediums although the actual reservation is done offline. For example, bookings done through walk-ins, call centers, and travel agencies are influenced, by a large part, by what people see and read online. It is not surprising then that certain hotels were able to cope with the tough times and even increase their hotel internet sales despite the tough times.

Creating and Updating Hotel Websites

Hotel internet marketing revolves around the main hotel website. It should be the first thing that a hotel revenue manager focuses on. In many cases, it is either the first contact or the last contact a company makes with the customer. It is important that the hotel’s website be a top priority especially since the market for hotel online sales is huge. The main objective would be to create an appealing overall image of the amenities.

A lot of hoteliers make the mistake of becoming contented with the same website they had five years ago. Time has changed drastically since then. Now, it is essential to have striking graphic design, internet hotel reservation software, real time information on prices, and booking software among others. If promoted properly, this can be a significant amount of business to the establishment.

Search Engine Optimization

Every person who has tried their hand in online promotions knows the importance of search engines. Majority of web traffic will come from search engines because this is the first tool people look into when trying to find information, product, or services on the internet. By SEO, it doesn’t mean that using popular key phrases on the content is enough.

Instead, a full-fledged campaign that involves link building, search engine submissions, and content optimization should be used. This is the best way to increase internet sales for your hotel. If you decide to hire a SEO specialist or an agency for this campaign, make sure you get those who have actual experience and knowledge about hotel revenue management.

The problem with most SEO companies in the market is that they have the tendency to focus merely on increasing traffic with no regards to its relevancy to the hotel. The result is low conversion rate and a lot of wasted money. Looking for someone with hotel industry knowledge is important.

Measuring Weekly Hotel Performance

It is no secret that the hospitality industry has been struggling in different fronts ever since the global economic crisis occurred. To get an accurate overview of the condition in the United States today, performance measurements for the week March 15-21 has been conducted. Metrics per month and per quarter are very helpful in determining financial performance, but this weekly year-on-year comparison provides a better overview of the real effects of the tough times.

Using this measurement, all three key measurements declined according to the STR. The occupancy rate fell by 4.7 percent, average daily rate declined 8.0 percent, and revenue per available room dropped to 12.3 percent this week. The average daily rate is now pegged at US$99092 while RevPAR is at $US58.45. If this is not alarming already, all major cities except for Washington DC showed declining performance during this timeframe.

Washington, DC was the only market that increased on its key performance measurements. However, even that increase is on the low side of the scale. Occupancy was 69 percent which is 1.7 percent. Meanwhile ADR was pegged at US$152.91 which is up 0.9 percent. And the RevPAR of the city increased to US$105.46 which is up 2.6 percent from last year.

Seeing that the United States is a very diverse market, its remaining top 25 cities showed mixed rates. For example, St. Louis, Illinois showed an increase in occupancy while Houston, Texas declined by 1.3 percent. One notable decrease is that from New York, New York. It dropped 25.5 percent in its ADR which is the largest in the research. The city also posted the largest RevPAR decrease because it dropped 36.6 percent to only US$151.05.

Given these severe setbacks in the hospitality industry, hotel revenue managers might wonder, is there still hope in increasing hotel sales in the next few months? The truth is, the condition today is one of the worst in history. In fact, economic performance has not been this bad since the Great Depression.

Yet, it is important to realize that the conditions from the previous eras are far different from the conditions today. Now, it is possible to use inventory software, hotel revenue management software, and internet marketing to reach a larger audience: a worldwide audience. With this fact in mind, the answer is yes. It is possible to increase RevPAR and boost hotel sales even during difficult economic times.

Increase Hotel Sales by Using RevPAR Guru

Despite the amount of sophisticated technology available today, a lot of hotels are still suffering from manual processing, and poor information flow. They fail to get updated and real-time information about guest, inventory levels, and industry data. This leads to reduced revenue and has a severe impact on hotel profitability. In today’s economic condition when the industry is struggling just to break-even, it is critical to utilize all available tools to improve RevPAR and boost hotel sales.

Among some of the most common mistake that a hotel revenue managers can make include focusing too much on administrative processes instead of sales, unreliable information flow among hotel distribution channels, lack of leads about sales statistics, redundant systems and infrastructure, and inflexible systems that cannot support new hotel rate strategies and new technologies.

Requirements of Hotel Revenue Management Software

• User-friendly interface
• Real time inventory information
• Modular structure
• Integrated technology elements including channel management, revenue management, account management, business management, and contact management
• Solid technology platform
• Data accuracy

These elements are very useful in when it comes to hotel management. It helps streamline processes, improve efficiency, and most importantly, increase hotel revenue.

RevPAR Guru: Solving your Problems in Real Time

With all these challenges, it is a good thing that a software application such as the RevPAR Guru exists to help hoteliers. It is a revenue management software, hotel booking software, and hotel management systems software combined into one. It is quick and easy to implement. With the right utilization, it can show a significant improvement on hotel sales.

It is critical to choose an application that has been specifically designed for hotel revenue management. There are many software solutions available but only a few of them can actually meet the unique needs of a hospitality business. It is true that certain technologies can be “modified” to adapt to the hotel’s requirements. However, it is very expensive and in some cases, it is not flexible enough to meet ongoing improvements. The RevPAR Guru is different because it understands all the challenges of the business. All functions are designed to deliver effective yield management and profit optimization.

It is not surprising that a lot of hotel revenue managers are turning to RevPAR Guru to help them cope with the changing times. The software application is very useful in both good economic conditions and bad.

Profit Optimization for Hotel Revenue Managers

Previously, the global economic crisis was concentrated on the United States and Europe. The rest of the world remained relatively unscratched during when the turbulence was first starting out. However, it has now reached a major part of the Asia Pacific region. Asian economies including Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan had negative fourth quarter growth in 2008. Meanwhile, even big economies such as India and China experienced very little growth. As a result, the hospitality industry was one of the industries adversely affected. In fact, it took one of the worst hit and the downward trend is expected to continue until 2010.

For a hotel revenue manager, the foremost question that comes to mind is how to boost profitability in this type of environment. It is difficult to increase hotel rates in this kind of condition. With the right tools though, getting the right adjustments with regards to hotel rates, hotel distribution channel, and revenue management is possible. Highly effective tools that should be looked into include inventory software, pricing software, and hotel rate distribution software. With this type of tools, a hotel revenue manager will have an easier time monitoring market trends. In effect, software applications can make an hotelier’s job easier. It has the potential to increase hotel sales and produce profit optimization.

In Asia and the rest of the world, occupancy levels have been declining since 2007. For example, demand, occupancy, RevPAR, and ADR are reaching new levels of lows since September 2008. No one can deny that the market is definitely tough. Even the construction projects in various regions are being halted. There are simply too many rooms with not enough consumer demand because everyone is trying to save money.

To make the best of the situation, hotel revenue managers need to innovate. That is, they should think out-of-the-box for solutions. Traditional thinking will no longer work in today’s digital age. Almost all travelers will use the internet to research, reserve, or book their travels. From airlines, restaurants, to hotels, travelers know where some of the best deals are. It is possible to look at the situation in two ways: threat or opportunity. It is up to an individual hotel manager to decide which way he wants to view it.

Social Media for the Hotel Industry

With the large number of Web 2.0 websites these days, it is not surprising that a lot of people are spending a lot of time online. Social media and sites that focus on consumer-generated content get a lot of buzz because it goes beyond traditional business to consumer interaction. Nowadays, people can interact among their peers and other users to get the best information possible. In addition, the social media creates networked connections and one-on-one relationships among people. Significant events, current developments, and interesting trivia are shared "virally".

To cope up with these changes, the hospitality industry needs to know where and how to concentrate their efforts. Market research is required. For example, it is critical for hotel revenue managers to identify where their target consumers usually spend their time only and then focus on these websites. According to hospitality experts, hotels face a challenge of reaching out to consumers that use these media. If they are successful, not only will they retain their current market share, they develop new markets as well.

Essentially, it is important for hotel revenue managers to realize that utilizing social media is almost free. But it requires a lot of effort, promotions, and marketing. Building connections and being with the community is two of the most important factors to increase hotel sales. Profit optimization can only occur when hotels understand how leveraging works online. Web 2.0 technologies enables them to build brand awareness and consumer loyalty through proactive endeavors that boosts profitability.

It has been said that careful targeting and the consistent delivery of relevant messages is the key to successfully using these tools. Together with market research and marketing though, it is also critical for hotels to implement the most effective hotel rate distribution strategy to increase hotel electronic sales. Some tools that will help include forecasting software, price distribution software, and inventory software.

In addition, utilizing search engine optimization and search engine marketing techniques are also essential in these endeavors. Nowadays, there are a lot of web marketing applications that has been designed to improve traffic and brand recognition. The software can also be used for other industries aside from the hospitality industry. This is because the necessity of adapting to new technologies is not only apparent in hotels but in the overall business environment as well.

Improve Hotel Rate Distribution Using Technology

When push comes to shove, effective hotel revenue managers know how to push back and cope with the situation. In many respects, persistence and creativity are important characteristics to have especially during economic turbulence. However, beyond global economic changes though, there are also technological changes that are reshaping the travel industry.

Online booking sales are now at record highs and hoteliers inevitably want a piece of the growing pie. Revenue managers from the United States to the Far East and looking into their rate distribution strategy, hotel internet sales, and forecasting software to find out how they can solve their piece of the puzzle.

Financial experts claim that the recession being experienced today is the worst since the Second World War. It is important for everyone, not only those from the travel industry, to take a closer look into their hotel rate strategy and reevaluate how they can become more effective. With the interconnectedness, reliance of virtual modeling and the need for inventory and price distribution software, hoteliers are required to do a balancing act between fulfilling customer expectations and increasing profitability.

It is said that tough times separates the boys from the men. In the hospitality industry, the same concept remains true. It is a process wherein the genuine adaptors and the best hotels are identified. The old processes and traditional inefficiencies are eliminated as hotels are forced to look smarter, better, and improve their hotel distribution channel. This is just the modern way to do business.

More hoteliers are finding out this secret, they are becoming successful because of it. Both marketers and public relations staffers need to identify ineffective spending habits in come up with ways to increase their return on investments. Rather than seeing the challenges today as a setback, the best hoteliers know that this is their time to shine.

There are certain hallmarks the separates the great hotel internet marketers from the mediocre ones. Among these are flexibility, desire for learning, passion for technology, and networking. Flexibility is essential because trends change fast. Meanwhile, a hunger to learn about technology and the internet will enable hoteliers to take advantage of good opportunities as they arise. This is related to having passion for technology. Applying human intelligence to create systems that improve our way of life is always in trend. And lastly, networking will enable hotels to connect with others including suppliers, employees, and customers.